


Breaking Up is Hard to Do

by maren



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003) RPF
Genre: Community: femslash08, F/F, girlslash, hell in a handbasket, not a tinhat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-22
Updated: 2009-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-05 00:44:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maren/pseuds/maren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title: Breaking Up is Hard to Do<br/>Author: Maren<br/><a href="http://community.livejournal.com/femslash08/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://community.livejournal.com/femslash08/"><b>femslash08</b></a> Recipient: <a href="http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/"><b>pirateygoodness</b></a><br/>Pairing: Katee/Tricia, BSG RPF<br/>Rating: PG-13 ( I know! I'm sorry)<br/>Note to <a href="http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/"><b>pirateygoodness</b></a>: Katee and Tricia are so fluffy and fun and all about sex, so I have NO idea where this came from.</p></blockquote>





	Breaking Up is Hard to Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pirateygoodness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pirateygoodness/gifts).



It's not a huge story, just a little blurb in a few gossip columns and it's all so sad and embarrassing that for once Katee's glad her rising stardom isn't rising at the rate her agent would like. The last thing she wants is to have to go through the whole publicist-orchestrated farce that she's seen follow other broken engagements in L.A. It had been a blessing, what seems like a rare one these days, that she'd been free enough a few weeks to pull up stakes and head out of town for some much needed alone time. Her parent's lake house was the perfect retreat and after two weeks of hiking and reading and taking the boat out on the quiet private lake, Katee's starting to feel like her head is on straight again. She probably wouldn't even know that the break-up made the rags if it weren't for the phone call.

She hasn't gotten many calls, a couple from her mom, one from her brother. She tells the few people who know where she is that the reception out here is bad, which is true, but really she just needs some time to herself. So when her phone rings and wakes her up from a lap afternoon nap, Katee's a little annoyed. She's tired and groggy and thinks about letting it go to voicemail but that annoying, responsible part of her brain commands her hand to reach out and grab the phone off the coffee table.

Katee glances at the incoming number and she feels a shot of adrenaline race through her body that makes her heart leap and her head clear. She swallows and answers the call with a flick of her finger.

"Hey. Tricia."

 

*

Katee hears the car coming up the drive and she resists the urge to check her appearance in the mirror. This is not the old days; there's no red carpet and no photographers. She's on vacation, dressed in vacation clothes, and this is Tricia. Then again, this is _Tricia_, so Katee pulls the elastic band out of her hair and combs out the long waves with her fingers in a possibly lame attempt to look a little better.

The call two days ago had come as a surprise. Katee didn't even know Tricia had her new number. She thought she'd maybe been over everything, that the year of drifting apart and losing touch had killed the pull that Tricia used to have over her, but Katee found it impossible to say no when Tricia had asked if she could come keep her company for a few days.

_"Look, Tricia, it's sweet of you but I'm ok, really I am. You don't have to come."_

_There was a pause, then Tricia's voice, quiet and a little sad._

_"Girls need friends at times like these. We're still friends, aren't we Katee?" _

Katee doesn't know if they're still friends, if they were ever _just_ friends. That had been the problem, in the end. But she can't deny the anticipation she feels and she definitely can't make herself wait inside. She pushes out the front door and watches Tricia park the rental car. Her arms fold around her waist and she hugs herself, tries to breathe normally and relax as much as possible. She hasn't seen Tricia in what feels like forever and now that she's so close, Katee realizes just how much she's _missed_ her.

The car door slams and there she is, all bright warm smile as she walks to Katee on those long legs that Katee has always both loved and envied.

Tricia doesn't stop until she's in Katee's personal space, until she's got her arms wrapped around Katee and is hugging her with a familiar tightness. All of the promises she made to herself to keep her distance fly out the window and Katee hugs her back, angling her face just enough that she can breath in the scent of Tricia's hair. The smell floods her with the promise of memories Katee tries not to think about and after a few seconds where it appears Tricia has no plans of letting go, Katee's the one to step away.

There's a flash of something somber in Tricia's face, just a fraction of a moment when her expression falls before she's smiling again. The look pulls at something in Katee's gut and she makes herself take another step back.

"You look gorgeous," Tricia greets, her smile widening to flash her teeth and Katee can't help but smile back at the familiar greeting.

"No, _you_ look gorgeous," she responds, remembering all of the times they've said these words in the past, in public and in private. And when it comes to Tricia, it's always true. Katee lets her eyes travel over the woman, takes in the dark honey blonde that she's sporting for her most recent role, the perfectly tight jeans and simple t-shirt and Katee would laugh at the instant bolt of attraction she feels if. . .

god, if it were back then when feeling this way about Trish was simple and not laden with everything that Katee's been struggling with since the show ended and they all went their separate ways.

*

Katee makes a big salad for dinner and opens up a bottle of wine. They've kept the conversation light, catching up on career and family. The big topics are still sitting between them, heavy and a little suffocating, but even so there's a thread of that comfort that has always made things easy between them.

After dinner Katee opens a second bottle of wine and leads Tricia down to the dock. They sit in silence for a while, listening to the water lap around them and watching the sun slip out of sight. She feels Tricia's eyes on her, but she keeps her gaze on the horizon of the lake stretched out in front of them and steals these last few minutes of peace.

When the sky is dark purple and the solar string lights on the dock start flickering on, Katee sees Tricia move out of the corner of her eye. As she turns to look, Tricia is beside her. She silently nudges her to scoot over, and as much as she thinks being pressed up against Trish alone here under the stars is a bad idea, she could never resist Tricia. She moves over on the lounge chair and tries not to like it too much when Tricia slides down next to her, presses into her down the entire length of their bodies and wraps her arm around Katee's shoulder. Katee shivers and Tricia rubs her arm, like she thinks the reason for the shiver is the cooling night air. Katee closes her eyes and fights the urge to lay her head on Tricia's shoulder, to tilt her face into Tricia's neck and kiss the spot that always used to make her shudder.

"Was it you, or him?" Tricia's voice is soft but determined and Katee knows there's no more delaying this conversation.

"Me."

Tricia's hand moves from her arm and Katee sighs at the sensation of long fingers lightly twirling her hair.

"What happened?"

Katee feels her stomach twist. She raises her wineglass and takes a long drink, not really sure if she's delaying an answer or just trying to drink away the way this is making her feel. She isn't sure what she's supposed to say, what Tricia wants to hear. Not the truth. Because the truth is that Scott was everything she thought she wanted, right up until the show ended and she sold her house in Vancouver, and Tricia moved out, back with her husband. Right up until Katee moved back to L.A. for good and realized that the fun little fling she was having with her best friend was more than that. Katee's still not sure how she could have gone all of those months with Tricia in and out of her bed without realizing that what she was feeling was more than lust. She doesn't know how it took her so long to realize she fell in love.

It took her even longer to realize it wasn't going to go away, that cutting Tricia out of her life wasn't going to fix things with Scott. Now Scott's gone and Katee's back where she started, pressed up against Tricia and sick with the impossibility of it.

Katee stands up, a sudden movement that has Tricia looking at her with wide, hurt eyes. That look makes Katee want to drop to her knees and apologize for being such a bitch, but she resists it.

"Why did you come here, Tricia?" There's a pleading tone in Katee's voice that she wishes she could take back, but she suddenly feels so raw, all of the peace that she's struggled to gain over the past year ripped away in less than 12 hours.

Tricia sits up a little straighter, cocks her head and meets Katee's eyes. Katee can see the hurt and confusion there.

"I thought you might need someone, Kate. I thought . . .," Tricia sighs, shakes her head. "Jesus, what happened to us?"

The sadness in her voice hits Katee hard and she reaches down for Tricia's hands and squeezes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm glad you're here, Trish."

And the pathetic, heart-wrenching truth is, she is.

*

They take out the bikes for a ride the next day. It's like old times, the two of them in jeans and boots and light leather jackets to keep them warm even in the middle of the summer. Katee lets Tricia have her bike and helmet and uses her brother's. She hasn't taken her bike out in a long time—too many memories on the road are wrapped up in Tricia. Now that Tricia's right here, it seems a little stupid to avoid riding and she misses it anyway.

Katee loves her home state, thinks there isn't a more beautiful place in the world that she could call her true home, but sometimes even she has to admit the weather blows. The day had started out beautiful, sky full of sun and the kind of cool breeze that balances that much sun. Three-quarters of the way through their ride, the clouds roll in and the sky opens up to drench them. They're in the middle of nowhere, just as close to home as anywhere else, and since there's no lightning there's really no reason not to just press on back to the lake house.

When they pull up to the garage they are dripping wet, soggy with the humidity, but Katee still feels exhilarated. She rips off her brother's helmet and smiles at Tricia, who's smiling back. Katee leads the way back into the house, stripping off the jacket and the boots to drop on the porch. Tricia follows her lead, then unbuttons her jeans and strips those off too while Katee grabs some water out of the fridge and tries not to stare at Tricia standing there in her damp tank top and tiny underwear.

"Water, Sackhoff? I could tell you haven't ridden in a while but surely you haven't forgotten what true biker chicks drink when they come off the road?" Tricia's eyes are sparkling and Katee laughs.

"Fine, fine. I wouldn't dare break tradition, _Helfer_," she smirks back. As she opens up the liquor cabinet and grabs the good bourbon her father keeps stocked, she tries not to think about the rest of their "biker chick" tradition but with a barely dressed, wet Tricia, it's a losing battle.

They drink shot after shot of bourbon, chasing it with water to try to stave off the worst of the after-effects, and while they drink they talk as easily as they used to. By the sixth shot they're laughing uncontrollably, sitting so close that every movement brushes some part of their bodies together and Katee feels reckless, restless. The next time Tricia leans in and says something too close, Katee cuts it off with a kiss.

Her lips touch Tricia's and it's like she was waiting for it because she moans and immediately pushes it further, opens her mouth and licks at Katee's bottom lip until Katee's mouth opens too. Katee leans into Tricia, strokes her cheek and runs her fingers down her neck and clavicle all the way to the soft mound of her breast. Tricia moans, her nipple hardening under the assault of Katee's palm. She pulls at Katee's t-shirt until it's untucked and her hands are roaming over the bare skin of Katee's back.

This is always how it started with them, teasing, laughing, mouths touching in the middle of a smile. Sometimes drunk, sometimes this fast and hard, but usually not. But the laughter was a constant, the thing that made it all seem so simple and harmless. This thing between them had always been easy, fun, something that happened on the outside of Tricia's marriage and Katee's relationship. It wasn't exactly allowed, but Katee used to have a hard time seeing how it was hurting anyone. Then things had ended and Katee realized exactly who it had been hurting.

The thought sobers her a little, makes her pull away and drives her off of the barstool. Tricia's brow furrows and she frowns, confused, but Katee just keeps backing away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so drunk and I need to go to bed" she says, the apologies and excuses bitter on her tongue.

Tricia's face crumples even further as she watches Katee back up, but she lets her go.

*

The next morning Katee wakes up with a clear head, but sore thighs. She'd forgotten what riding her brother's bike did to her body, especially when it had been so long since she'd used her muscles in that way. She's just about to get up and grab some ibuprofen when her bedroom door opens and Tricia appears. Katee can't do anything but watch as Tricia glides across the room, always so graceful, and sits down on the bed next to her, drawing her knees up to her chest and folding her head down to meet them.

Katee feels like she should apologize for the night before, but she's not sure what to say, what will make things better between them.

Tricia is the first to speak. She always did know what to say. "I miss you, Katee. I miss you so much."

Katee closes her eyes. She can feel her face crumple, her throat tighten with the tears she suddenly has to fight to hold back. She takes several deep breaths before she has enough control to open her eyes again. "I miss you too," she says, and her voice only cracks a little bit as she says it.

It's easier than it should be, as easy as it used to be, to reach out for Tricia, to pull her down and fit their bodies together. It's easy to let Tricia kiss her, undress her, slide fingers through her wet heat and twist them inside until there's nothing left to do but quiver and moan her release.

It's so easy to love her. That's always been the problem.

Katee's just tired of fighting it.

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Breaking Up is Hard to Do  
> Author: Maren  
> [](http://community.livejournal.com/femslash08/profile)[**femslash08**](http://community.livejournal.com/femslash08/) Recipient: [](http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/profile)[**pirateygoodness**](http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/)  
> Pairing: Katee/Tricia, BSG RPF  
> Rating: PG-13 ( I know! I'm sorry)  
> Note to [](http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/profile)[**pirateygoodness**](http://pirateygoodness.livejournal.com/): Katee and Tricia are so fluffy and fun and all about sex, so I have NO idea where this came from.


End file.
